Daily Devotional for Saturday December 20, 2008

Seventeen Girls in one High School are Pregnant

(1 Timothy 5:14)

Seventeen girls in one high school are pregnant! News broke out of Gloucester, Massachusetts last June that 17 girls in one high school are pregnant. The initial news reports stated there was some form of "pregnancy pact," and the girls got pregnant on purpose. That is now being disputed, but what is not in dispute is that 17 girls from this one high school have either had or are going to soon have babies. This is just another sad example of our culture that is in total rebellion to God and His plan for sex, marriage and family. Do not be fooled for a second about the role the media played in this. Between television, movies, music, and the deification of Hollywood celebrities, the lives of children today are being shaped and destroyed by this culture in full rebellion to God.

One year ago, Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney's 16-year-old sister, proudly proclaimed that she was pregnant and the media loved it! Sadly, the church, para-church ministries, men and women of God, have done a very poor job of getting the message of God to those who need it most...this lost and hurting world in which we live in. It is sad when the act of a 16-year-old girl who has clearly made choices in rebellion to God has more impact on our culture than the church does! That is why from time to time, I feel compelled to respond to messages that are being put forth by the secular media that are in opposition to the Truth of the Bible, especially when those messages are geared to children and young adults.

Jamie Lynn Spears is the star of Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101," a popular program geared towards children and young adults. It came to light last December that she was pregnant by her 18-year-old boyfriend. Last June, she gave birth to a baby girl. I would not for a moment discount the influence she had on these girls in Gloucester, or young girls in other parts of the country who thought "what a neat idea." Sadly, teen pregnancy is not something new and continues to be a huge issue in a nation and world that is in spiritual freefall. What is most troubling to me has been the media's glorification of Spear's pregnancy which is what I want to address today.

God through His Word, is very specific about HIS gift of sex. Sex is intended for a man and woman WHO ARE MARRIED! PERIOD! ALL sex outside of God's plan is a sin! As I share with you often, sin always comes with a huge price tag. When you engage in sex at any age, getting pregnant is a very real possibility. When it is children, teens, neither the young man or woman are ready for that responsibility and their lives become changed forever. In too many cases, it is the baby who suffers as well.

Let me take this opportunity to say to all of those who are reading this and got caught up in sin, made a poor choice to have sex without being married, and became pregnant. God is a God of grace and mercy. Even in our sinfulness, God loves us, and can turn our sin into HIS blessings. However, that ONLY happens when we acknowledge our sin, ask God to forgive us, and begin from that point forward to do it HIS way. When you make that choice, God can and will bless you, no matter what your circumstances may be today.

A special note to those young women who may be pregnant. You have two, TWO, options. Keep the baby, or give the baby up for adoption. These are the ONLY two choices. Abortion is murder. To have an abortion is simply compounding your initial sin. Trust me, as LONG AS YOU LIVE, the choice to kill your baby will be with you. Having counseled thousands of women who have had an abortion, the FACT the women's movements, the pro-death (choice) movement conveniently forget to tell you, is that you will never.....EVER....forget this incident in your life.

*If you are pregnant and even considering killing your baby, please take a moment and go to this short video of less than 1 minute of an actual abortion being performed. Before you make the horrible choice to kill your baby, watch this video and see exactly what is going to happen to your child first. http://www.liveprayer.com/abortion.cfm

Another common sin that I deal with daily, is the incredible desire by a woman who becomes pregnant to "marry the father of the baby." Again, in almost ALL cases, you are simply compounding your sin. Getting married because you are pregnant is one of the absolute WORST reasons there is to get married! I can almost insure you that the man who got you pregnant, is most likely NOT the man God wants you to spend the rest of your life with. In Spear's case, there are published reports this young man who fathered her baby has gotten another girl pregnant.

NO MAN OF GOD, WHO IS WALKING WITH THE LORD, WHO IS THE SPIRITUAL HEAD OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP AS GOD CALLS THE MAN TO BE, WOULD HAVE EVER SLEPT WITH YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!! I am not making a blanket condemnation of all men who sin in this way, but in most every case, a man who is willing to sleep with a woman out of the bonds of marriage, is NOT the man God wants you to spend the rest of your life with.

I love you and care about you so much. GOD LOVES YOU EVEN MORE! Please pray for these 17 girls in Massachusetts, the boys and young men who fathered these children, and most of all the babies. Pray these young women and men will turn to the Lord, since now more than ever they will need His strength. If you are currently pregnant out of the bonds of marriage, your first need is to get right with God. Go to God's promise in 1 John 1:9, and get right with God. DON'T EVEN CONSIDER MARRIAGE UNTIL YOU CAN BE ASSURED IT IS GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE.

It may be a situation where putting your baby up for adoption is the best alternative. Pray, get lots of wise counsel, and God will guide you and direct you. For those single moms out there who have already lived through the birth of your child, again, getting right with God is your first step. Know that God can, and will bless you and your child in incredible ways if you are willing to submit to Him. For those young adults who have not had this experience. LISTEN!!! God is speaking to you today. There are CONSEQUENCES when you sin. LIFE CHANGING CONSEQUENCES!!! Do it God's way. Let God bring the right mate into your life, get married, then have children in accordance with God's perfect plan.

In closing, never forget that the secular media has NO CONSCIENCE. It simply portrays the message our modern culture finds appealing, regardless of how God feels. A child having a baby without being married is NOT a glamorous experience!!! It takes sin to accomplish, and those who are unrepentant, face incredible challenges that ultimately harm the child involved. As I say so often, when you do it your way, it NEVER works. When you do it God's way, it ALWAYS WORKS!!! I will be praying that this message really speaks to your heart today and that you choose to do it God's way!!!

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller